Oct 28, 2018 2 min read

Regarding Dave Ball’s op-ed published Oct. 21: As long as we have free, un-gerrymandered, nonvoter suppressed elections, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom to assemble and the right to keep private weapons, civilian oversight of the military built on the foundation of universal access to an education on democratic ideas, no one – not socialists, Democrats, nationalists or any other group – will be able to impose an authoritarian government on this country.

As for the behavior of the Democratic Party, no Democrat has called the press “enemy of the people” or assaulted journalists. No Democrat has invited his or her supporters to attack dissidents or lock up his or her opponent. No Democrat has proposed charging citizens to demonstrate in Washington, D.C.

As for equal opportunity versus equal outcomes, does anyone really believe a graduate of McGuffey High School has the same opportunities as a graduate of Georgetown Prep High School? The Democrats try to level the playing field at the start of the game by funding health care for everyone and schools that enroll everyone, not those that cherry pick the best students.

If anyone is undermining our democratic capitalism, it’s the Republican Party by limiting everything stated in the first paragraph.

Martha L. McFadden

Washington